Eileen & Aryana

Eileen is a single mom who balances caring for her 6-year-old daughter, Aryana, with working almost 50 hours a week. Through a collaboration among several organizations, she had the opportunity to attend Families First’s Power of Parenting program in her Urban Edge housing development.

At Families First, we know all parents need knowledge, skills, and support. Eileen gained all three from the program.

She learned about how children grow, which helped her set age-appropriate expectations. In retrospect, she says,

“My expectations were unrealistic… we were both frustrated and disappointed when they weren’t met… I was setting Aryana up for failure. Now I am more relaxed with my requests and have learned to meet her halfway; we are both more productive this way.”

In parenting, moments of frustration are inevitable. Eileen also needed skills for handling those moments, and she got them from Families First: “I have learned to take a minute before reacting to the situation, evaluate and move from there.”

Before, Eileen didn’t know many people in her housing development. Through participation in Families First’s program, she built a community she can turn to for support—even now that the program has ended.

“We learned so much from each other. Sharing our stories helped us realize that we are not alone in this journey. After this experience, I am more confident as a parent and an individual.”